Circle of Trust
by lgabrielle17
Summary: Emma is stressed with school and a sick Snake, and turns to Chris for relief. An old friend comes out of the wood work to repair old wrongdoings, but everything doesn't turn out a bed of roses. Reviews are NEEDED!
1. Chapter One

**Circle of Trust**  
by L. Gabrielle  
  
CHAPTER ONE:  
  
Emma pushed back a wipsy strand of blonde hair behind her ear, and sighed. Studying for finals was not how she wanted to spend the day. She glanced over her study sheet for English. The mass majority of it was notes on "Hamlet". She normally understood Shakespeare, or at least, she understood it while her class was going over it. Now, however, her mind was elsewhere.  
  
She had forced herself to study hard this year. Freshman year is a big deal. She knew she was smart enough to not go insane with worry over her grade levels, but when iambic pentameter starts to look more like oddly written Russian, she knew she should be alarmed.  
  
She couldn't help but shift her thoughts to Manny Santos, her now ex-best friend. Rumors had been floating around school that she was pregnant. She really hoped it wasn't true, but given Manny's wild behavior lately, Emma really couldn't put it past her. Manny's image came back to her in a vivid flash--those tight shirts, those pants. She shuddered. Manny now is a mere fraction of what she used to be -- caring, loyal, with high standards.   
  
"It's really unbelievable how much of a difference a year makes," Emma mused.  
  
Her concentration was broken by her mother running down the stairs in a hurry, holding Emma's baby brother, Jack, in her arms. "Em, I'm sorry I have to do this on such a whim, but Snake's at the hospital and I promised I'd be there for the diagnosis," Spike's voice was strained. She hadn't been getting much sleep lately, what with baby Jack's late night crying sessions, and her husband's weekly chemotherapy sessions.   
  
Emma stood up. "Say no more. Give him to me." The homework laid forgotten as she unstreched her arms welcomingly to baby Jack. Emma pulled the infant closer to her, trying to silence it's sudden tearful departure from his mother.  
  
"You're a lifesaver, Em," Spike said, rummaging around to find her purse. She found it slung haphazardly on the back of a kichen chair, and slipped it over her small frame, along with a light jacket. "I'll call you from the hospital once we leave. Feel free to get yourself dinner if you get hungry."  
  
"I will. Don't worry. Say 'bye', Jack!" She moved her brother's arm in a waving motion at her mother's stressed eyes. Spike smiled, kissed Jack's forehead, as well as Emma's and was out the door.  
  
Emma spun back around, and with Jack on one hip, went in search of his baby seat, so she could place him next to her at the kitchen table and possibly get some more work done. Once found, the idea was essentially moot what with Jack's constant gurgling and screams for attention.   
  
"Okay, okay, all eyes on you," she said with an weak and exasperated smile. "Guess the Great Dane will have to wait..."  
  
[Authur's Note: Let me know what you think. I hope to have the next few chapters up in a few days. Constructive critisim is always appreciated. Thanks!]


	2. Chapter Two

Circle of Trust  
  
by L. Gabrielle  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
Manny woke up with a start. Another nightmare. She glanced at the  
  
clock and silently wished it wasn't 7AM on a Tuesday. She forced  
  
herself out of bed to get ready for school.   
  
She hasn't been getting much sleep lately. Her relationship with  
  
Craig was disfunctional, but what more could she expect? After he  
  
lied to both her and Ashley, was he really worth holding on to? And  
  
then with the pregnancy scare. The day she got her results back  
  
saying she was really pregnant, she had never felt more disillusioned  
  
and alone in her entire life. The abortion was the right thing to do,  
  
even if it didn't feel right at the moment.  
  
Craig. That was a name she might as well forget. It seems that no  
  
matter how hard she tried to make their relationship work, it never  
  
did. And it was never her. She forced herself to realize that much.  
  
It was NEVER her. Craig was the one who dumped her in the 8th grade.  
  
Craig was the one who made the decision to cheat on Ashley with  
  
her. Craig was the one...Craig, Craig, Craig.  
  
And life was still throwing her curveballs. This was the type of thing  
  
she'd want to talk over with Emma. But after her choice to go after  
  
Craig, the two weren't exactly on speaking terms. She sighed as she  
  
picked out a blue and pink striped tube top out of her dresser  
  
drawer. With all it's ups and downs, 9th grade was a year that the  
  
sooner it was all forgotten, the better.  
  
Once dressed, she quickly curled her hair and rain down the steps.  
  
Reaching the kitchen table, she looked around for her parents, and  
  
throughly confused, they were no where to be seen. She grabbed a  
  
box of cereal and poured some of it's contents into a bowl.   
  
As she was eating, her thoughts drifted back to Craig. As much as  
  
she knew she should hate him, she couldn't. She just couldn't bring  
  
herself to feeling that way about him. There was just something about  
  
Craig Manning, his slender frame, his mop of curly hair, his bewitching  
  
eyes that just seemed to look through her. Whatever it was, it had  
  
a hold on Manny that just wasn't going to let go.  
  
Her eyes came into focus on a large transportion device standing  
  
outside her house. The bus! It was there. She was late! Slipping on  
  
a pair of cute sandals and swinging her book bag over her shoulder,  
  
she flew out just in time to lock her front door behind her and  
  
jump on the bus.   
  
Slipping into the first seat, she sighed. 'Almost late again,' she  
  
thought. 'At least this time I won't have to deal with Raditch.' 


	3. Chapter Three

**Circle of Trust**  
by L. Gabrielle  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
  
Emma walked into Degrassi with 15 minutes to spare till the bell. She barely got any sleep the previous night. Her mother called from the hospital two hours after she left that the doctor's diagnosis wasn't pretty. Emma expected to get full details once the two got home, but by the time they did, Emma became throughly more confused.

Snake looked shook up, and mumbled something about wanting to go back to bed. He went up stairs in a hurry. Spike's eyes looked red and watery, as if she'd been crying for a long while. Emma could read her mother's emotions unlike anyone else, she knew now wasn't the time to ask questions.   
  
"Jack's asleep in the crib," she had said softly. Her mother forced out a smile, and out of nowhere grabbed her daughter close and held her there for a few seconds.

"Tomorrow. We have to have a little family meeting," Spike murmered into Emma's hair.  
  
That thought wouldn't leave Emma's mind. She knew now that today was going to be the longest school day ever. When she arrived at her locker, she began unloading and loading her needed class materials.   
  
"Em!"   
  
Her head spun 360 at the sound of her name. It was Chris, her new friend/boyfriend/unsure what he was at the moment. All she did know was that when she was with him, life seemed less complicated.   
  
"You never called me last night. What's up?" Chris was grinning his million dollar grin. Normally, Emma would make a sarcastic remark about his peppiness at such an early hour, but today she just didn't have the energy.  
  
"Sorry, I had Jack to take care of."  
  
"Again?"  
  
"What do you expect? When Snake needs to be at the hospital, Mom needs to be there too."  
  
Chris's grin was gone. He nodded. He knew that being inquizzitive just wasn't appropriate. Emma was obviously plauged by something, no point in trying to change the subject.  
  
"You need to talk?"  
  
"Like you wouldn't believe," Emma replied longingly. "But it wouldn't really be of much use seeing as I have no clue what's going on anymore."  
  
"You. Me. Lunch. Let me hear what's on your mind."  
  
"Thanks." Emma hugged Chris and watched him walk to his first class. She leaned back against her locker, lost in thought, but was snapped back to reality when she saw who was walking by.  
  
Manny approached, wearing a form-fitting tube top and low cut short shorts with heels. Emma's eyes followed her as she walked past. Manny glanced over, and for a minute Emma thought she looked apologetic. Then she heard an older boy across the hall give a cat call in Manny's direction. Manny's head snapped to the boy with a weak grin. She walked past, trying to keep her head held high.  
  
Emma grimaced and turned back to her locker and returned to her books.


End file.
